An inspiring and moving memoir of the author’s turbulent life with 600 rescue animals
Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a fifteen-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey.
She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues—horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs—when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals.
Funny Farm is Laurie’s story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It’s the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money, and no resources, dragging three kids behind her and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it’s the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued.
Laurie Zaleski is the founder of the Funny Farm, a charitable organization located in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Since 2000, the farm has welcomed all kinds of rescue animals. Laurie is also the founder and CEO of Art-Z Graphics. She has been named a New Jersey Heartland Hero, is listed in the Who’s Who of Professional Women, and has received numerous awards and acknowledgments for her work to save animals and educate the public about animal abuse.
Erin Moon is a professional AEA/CAEA/SAG-AFTRA actor and the award-winning narrator of over 325 novels. She is celebrated for her facility with accents and characterization, as well as her ability to read with humor and heart. Erin narrates everything from YA to romance (under a romance pseudonym) to holistic health nonfiction (as she happens to be a Certified Yoga Therapist). She is a fifteen-year veteran in audiobooks, having worked as a director and editor for four-and-a-half years, working on at least 400 books before she even started narrating. Now, understandably, she is also a sought-after coach, director, and panelist. After thirteen years in NYC she now lives, gardens, hikes, and records in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.